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My 100 Favorite Games
Okay, let's try this again. With a list like this, there's bound to be "oh I should have thought of this" a few times. And yeah, there are plenty of those that have been submitted through my 1001 Project that either directly or indirectly inspired other choices on this list. Why is this edition one? Because there are a million games - blockbuster or obscure - that I've never played. The second edition will come when the project is over, because I am going to play all of those games at some point or another. If there's a game you'd want to recommend to me, feel free to create a 1001 Video Games submission. With that being said, how did I manage to come up with a list that I felt comfortable with? I made a list of every game that I ever got really into at some point, and then I ranked each one as honestly as possible between one-and-five, with one being games that I liked or respected but never really got into, and with five being one of my favorite games of all time. It made them much easier to sort and I feel much more comfortable with their placement. With that being said, let's start with some basic honorable mentions, which will get more embarrassing as each part goes on. For now, the games that were removed from my last list. Honorable Mentions: * Asteroids: There's a better Asteroids-type game on my list. * Cogs: I'd like it a lot more if I could start the game over. * Dr. Mario: I'm actually not too into the simple puzzle games like Tetris, Dr. Mario, or Columns * LSD Dream Emulator: It's surreal, but last time I kind of wanted to include it for the sake of including it. * Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee: Playing this game again, it's a little too difficult for me to like it all that much. Number #100: Clubhouse Games '(Nintendo DS) Yeah some things don't change. What I said last time was that I spent a lot of time playing this game and had an absurd amount of fun with it, but I could only include it as number 100. The game is a compilation of 42 card games, board games, and variety games like darts or bowlings. It has very little of its own substance. That being said, it's probably the best in that category. Out of all of the games, there are very few duds, like their version of battleship. When you make certain tiles only 1x1, it dissolves into an entirely luck-based guessing game, which is never fun. Hafunda is a fully-established card game that's too complicated for this kind of game. And ''Old Maid is totally luck-based in single-player. By the way, thanks for starting off the single-player progression mode, which is needed to unlock Shogi, Ludo, and Field Tactics, with the only game that is 100% reliant on luck. Brilliant design decision. Other than that? The games are pretty fun. Darts and Bowling are played in similar ways, but have different fields of gravity making them feel like entirely different games. It's got Poker, solitaire, a sliding puzzle game, a reverse-jenga kind of game, chess (both vanilla and Chinese), and checkers. There are a few minor nitpicks, like the other textures turning everything into sprites instead of polygons (which would be fucking awesome with the virtual skin). It would have definitely been much better of a DS launch title than Nintendogs. It relies on the touch screen and it's fun to play on the go. Number #99: Alter Ego (1986) (Browser) I will be as honest as possible. The first five games on the list are the same as they were in my last list. So why did I pick this over Abe's Oddysee and LSD Dream Emulator? Because I would have felt the most guilty removing this from my list. And that's kind of what part one of these kinds of lists is for: putting on the games that you would feel guilty not having. The basic gist is that it's a choose-your-own adventure game, with the adventure being life. The game can get really dark and serious at times. The game is a story of a life that can delve into some very tearjerking and heartwarming moments. Much of the game is randomized. A random event is losing your parents (both of them have different events). So is moving on to the next stage of life, making it impossible to do everything in one go. It is one of the most thought-provoking games that I've ever played. Number #98: Balloon Fight (NES) Balloon Fight is essentially a copy-paste of the arcade game Joust, which I've never played. Considering how fun this game is though, it seems that I'm really missing out. That being said Balloon Fight is a better Joust-game for the NES, then the actual Joust port that it got, which is... weird. You've probably guessed that I've come across this game not through the NES launch title, but through Animal Crossing. Yeah, I remember first discovering NES games in Animal Crossing. I bought a plain NES from Redd, and it said that I couldn't play it because I didn't have any games so I thought it was just an item you couldn't do anything with. Imagine my surprise when I started discovering the NES games through other means. The first one was Donkey Kong, which I'd never really gotten into, and the second one was Balloon Fight. I'd spend some of my Animal Crossing days playing Balloon Fight, and I don't regret it. Number #97: Tetris Attack (SNES) I never really got into the original Tetris. Is it fun? I guess. Actually, I kind of found it too easy. That seemed to be a problem with me and puzzle games; they were either too hard or too easy. And I'll definitely admit that Tetris Attack is on the easy side, but that's because it's supposed to be. Tetris Attack is the most relaxing game in history. The Forest Stage is perhaps the most relaxing video game track in history. Look it up on YouTube, and try to stay angry while listening to that soothing, calming melody. The gameplay is interesting, take the sort of Tetris-style gameplay and mix it with the match 3 style of Bejeweled. Is it a bit easy? Yeah, but since this game is supposed to be a relaxing, casual experience, for once it becomes a benefit. Number #96: Zuma Deluxe (PC) Okay guys, after this one I'll be talking about completely different games. You know your typical puzzle games, like Bejeweled or Tetris? I've never really gotten into them. As far as I can tell Bejeweled in completely luck-based, and Tetris was always too easy for me until a point where the game made a seemingly huge leap in speed just to end off your game. Zuma Deluxe never did that. The game is entirely divided into stages so that never happens. Not to mention that the gameplay is continually fast-paced, but never unfair. The game will never give you a color that you don't need which pushes it ahead of other puzzle games like it for me. It's not my favorite puzzle game of all time, but it was always a refreshing turn on its kin. If I'd have to point out one problem with the game, one of my worst video game cliches is that ending fake-out. You know the point where you think you've killed the boss, but he has another form? Or that there's a whole new level that's hard as hell because the game designers were too lazy to make the first one challenging enough, or they were just that sadistic? Yeah this game does that. Twice. And it's a puzzle game! 'Number #95: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved '(PC) Yeah! We're now in the new stuff. You ever have those times where it's five minutes before you have to leave your computer and go to an appointment of some kind, but you want to play a video game anyway? That's where Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved comes in. Take Asteroids and load it with geometric shapes, pulse-pounding music, and explosive color. It's quick to load and games rarely last long with this one. It's one of those games where it's debatable if your lives or your screen-clearing bombs are more valuable. Between you and me, I think that the bombs are. It's an incredibly hectic time and it fills a great niche Number #94: Frogger (PlayStation) No, not the classic arcade game. I'm talking about it's PlayStation... remake? Enhancement? Sequel? What would you call this? A lot of arcade games got 3D Platformer-versions of them on the PlayStation, like Pac-Man, and Centipede, ''hell even ''Pong. 3D Platformers are my favorite genre of all time and you're going to see a lot of them on my list. So I suppose I should explain why this one is one of my least favorite then. Well, harsh time limits and limited lives work well for the arcade game, but not so much for a longer adventure such as Frogger. And this game was tough; even if you're using an action replay. Which I have. But for the most part, the game is still manageable without it. Just be prepared for a challenge. Also, it had a pretty good multiplayer mode. Number #93: The Legend of Zelda (NES) The Legend of Zelda series is my favorite game series of all time, and it's bizarre to have one of the games so low on the list. Well that's because the original Zelda game has aged rather poorly. I still like it a lot, and I like it more than the second one. I've played it and beat it many times for historical reasons and for nostalgic reasons. But honestly if there's any Zelda game that needs a remake, it's this one. Yes, I still do like this game. A lot as a matter of fact. I like the freedom that it presents and I can probably enjoy it so much because I grew up with this game and mastered all of its secrets, even though for the longest time I had a hard time finding Dungeon 2. I usually just went onto Dungeon 3. I still hate Darknuts though. They can go screw themselves. But seriously Nintendo, this game deserves a remake more than any of the others. Number #92: A Kingdom for Keflings (XBLA) I love games that let you build stuff, like towns, mansions, etc. A Kingdom for Keflings lets you build your own kingdom. You take control of a giant who takes control a bunch of small gnome-like people and work to create a kingdom custom-made to your liking. And a big part of the game is resource gathering and refinement. If I could describe this game in its barest terms, it's like a real-time-strategy game without any enemies to worry about. Gather resources and use them to build up a kingdom. The game does direct you pretty heavily, but with some awesome and calming music for the changing seasons it's hard to get angry. Yes there is a sandbox mode in the game, but sandbox mode is broken. They don't give you a very important resource that's needed to build and unlock more advanced buildings. Besides, it's sort of a sandbox game so it's totally not necessary. That being said you shouldn't include options in your game if they don't work. Number #91: The Oregon Trail II (PC) And we end part one on a game that's solely here for nostalgia. You know that game that you had on your school's computer that you always wanted to play? It might have been Math Blaster, or Chip's Challenge, or Rescue Rover, or Lego Loco. Mine was The Oregon Trail.... two. I have played and beaten the original Oregon Trail. Well, the 1985 Apple ][ version anyway. The 1971 version? Yeah, I don't have an HP 2100 minicomputer. I've never beaten this game. Mostly because that's kind of hard to do during a 45-minute once a week computer "class." Especially when there are other games there... like Lego Harry Potter. God, that game was so laggy. Still, I had plenty of fun playing this game. Just buy 2 oxen and 500 pounds of candy. That's all you need to go on a cross-country trip, right? Alright, the last list was dominated mostly by casual and arcade games that don't take much time to play. So for our set of honorable mentions this time, I think that I'll list the arcade and casual games that didn't make the cut. Honorable Mentions: * '''Gyruss: One of my favorite arcade games of all time that just didn't make the cut. * Defender: another one of my favorite arcade games that just didn't make the cut. * Missile Command: ditto * Pac-Man: There are better versions of the game. * Centipede: Never really got into it. * Donkey Kong: Ditto Number #90: The Incredible Machine (MS-DOS) This is the other game that I sought out playing at school, and while Oregon Trail II is showing its age; I think that the Incredible Machine series holds up really well. Yeah, we can consider this an entry for the series overall; and yes, there will be a few entries like this, series that are so similar that I'd have a hard time picking which is the best, or ones that just progressively got better. The one that I played the most was probably the third one. In the Incredible Machine, you solve puzzles. Like blowing up a fish tank. With a missile. A lot of the puzzles involved moving certain sizes of balls around reflecting lasers off of mirrors. It was a creative game that encouraged you to be creative, and very few puzzle games, even today, do that. Number #89: I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (MS-DOS) I'm just going to go out and say it. AM is my favorite villain in any medium, games or otherwise. Imagine GlaDOS, just as funny, but a million times more sadistic. The game is like five different point-and-click adventure games in one, and each of them is incredibly dark, going places that video games don't usually go; even today. The story that this game is based on is dark enough, but this game takes that darkness and explores it even further. Me saying anything else about this game would be a bit too spoiler-y, so I'll end it by saying that if Silent Hill isn't dark enough for you, then this might be worth a try. Number #88: Portal (PC) Do any of you guys have one of those books, movies, or games that you like but the general consensus thinks you should like more? You don't find it overrated at all--its earned its praise--you just don't like as much as other people? I've got a few of them, and one of them is Portal. I do like it, a lot. It's on my favorite games list after all. But the way that people talk about this game makes me think that it should be in at least the top 50, if not the top 25. I guess I should explain why it's not higher. Well, it's shortness is probably a part of that reason. The first time I played the game I beat it in under two hours. But I like other infamously short games, and hell I even put a couple of short games on this list. One of them specifically because it was short. Maybe it's because it took a little too long to get the fully functional portal gun. Or maybe it's because of Chamber 18. I fucking hate chamber 18. Yeah I know that it's the last one before you almost die in a fire but the rest of the game has a natural difficulty progression. It honestly takes me completely out of the experience whenever I get to it, and since the game is so short it's usually what I think of when I want to start it up again. That being said, everything else about the game is flawless. It's the perfect way to do a puzzle game that doesn't fall into the Tetris/Bejeweled formulas. Why not Portal 2? I haven't played it to completion yet. The game (files-wise) is huge, and I'm not willing to install it without the specific intention of beating it. And I don't exactly have that time. Yes I sound like a hypocrite with one of my problems of the original Portal. (It's not a problem, it's just that it gives me lack of opportunity). Number #87: Skyblazer (SNES) You know those games that you discover completely by accident? One of my childhood classic games was a little Super Nintendo game called Soul Blazer. I won't talk about it here, because yes, it does have a place further down the list. I knew that this game was a part of a series of some kind, and naturally I thought that the sequel to Soul Blazer would be Sky Blazer. Nope, the actual sequel of Soul Blazer is Illusion of Gaia, which I actually own a physical copy of but never got around to playing (we've all got games like that, I'm sure). What I got instead was an amazing hidden gem on the Super Nintendo. The game is an action platformer. Think the platforming sections in ActRaiser, but actually done right. So yeah, instead of getting the sequel to Soul Blazer, I got the "good" sequel to ActRaiser. You want to drop the city sim parts fine; but you'd better make the platforming fucking amazing. I wouldn't call Skyblazer's platforming amazing, but it's definitely fun. What makes this game unique is that the hero, Sky, ''is able to hang onto walls and actually do a dash move bouncing off of them. Much of the game is built around that ability, along with the spells that he unlocks by defeating certain bosses. And the bosses. Well, they're perhaps the best designed on the SNES, actually taking thought to take down. If I'd have to lodge a complaint, it's really short. But I suppose that's better than overstaying its welcome. Number #86: Rocket: Robot on Wheels (N64) Wow, the book didn't get everything wrong after all. Yeah, ''1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die introduced me to this little title. I don't take back what I said about the book though. For every Rocket: Robot on Wheels, there's three Lumines Lives. For every Psychonauts included, there's an arbitrary sequel included. But I'm getting off topic. Rocket: Robot on Wheels is a few interesting 3D Platformer that, in some ways, seems more like an experiment than anything else. Most of this game's puzzles and platforming revolves around Rocket's tractor beam and the game's physics engine. Did I mention that this game came out years before Half-Life? And the game is completely built around this. The first level takes place in a carnival, and one of the tickets can be won by tossing balls and knocking over targets. Also in the first level you get to build and ride a roller coaster. Another thing I like about this game is that it takes two common themes and merges them with most levels. One level fuses a sky level with an arabian level. So yes, you're riding a magic carpet in a city in the clouds. Another level merges a food-themed level with a horror-themed level. And another level fuses a ruins-level with a volcano-level. Almost every level in the game is like that. So, with all of these praises, why isn't the game even higher? Well, one reason really. This game makes me car sick. I don't know why. No one else seems to have this problem with this game, and no other games give me this problem. But because I'm nauseous I can't exactly enjoy this game as much as I want to. Number #85: Braid (PC/XBLA) Do you have any of those books, movies, or games that you should like... oh wait, I already did that. Well yeah, I got two of them. I actually like Braid a lot. I like how it's not only beautiful through sound and graphics, but through the very gameplay as it uses it to paint metaphors. But like Portal, I feel that I should like it even more, but it's even moreso here because I love the artsy, deeper side of media. Of any media, not just video games. I suppose it has a few of the same problems for me that Portal does as well. One of the worlds, either four or five, gave me way too much trouble. And for once the short length of the game really does bother me. I want more of this game, and a longer experience. And no, I'm not talking about going after all of those fucking stars. I mean more levels, etc. Now I don't want a sequel. Braid doesn't need a sequel, and it should never have a sequel. Maybe a spiritual successor though. In fact, Limbo is on my steam wishlist. I've never played it, but I have seen a let's play. And let me just say that Limbo is the yang to Braid's yin. Braid has an overall optimistic look with a crushing ending. Limbo has a bleak, depressing look with an uplifting ending. You can't die in Braid. You will die a lot in Limbo. Ying-and-yang. When I get around to Limbo, these two games might share a spot. Number #84: The Sims 2 (PC) You know, I was pretty excited for The Sims 3. Unfortunately the game managed to be a disappointment. Oh sure, they gave us new personalities, some new tools, and the ability to retexturize your pieces of furniture. But by doing that they removed like 70% of the furniture that was in the base game of The Sims 2, never mind what was added in the expansions. We lost the billiards table, the pinball machine, hot tubs, staple recliners, and so much more. We're what? Eight expansions in and we still don't have that fucking pinball machine. Why is this important to me? Well, the Sims has been called a dollhouse simulator. For me, it's kind of been an architecture simulator. The amount of time I've spent pails in comparison to to the amount of time that I've built mansions. And to be fair, it's still fun to build mansions in The Sims 3. Unfortunately it gets kind of hard to fill up those mansions and castles with anything but retextures of the same-old-same-old. You know, I want to build things like arcades. But I can't do it. I mean, with the Sims 2, if there was a piece of furniture that I didn't have that I wanted I could download it from the internet. The Sims 3 does not have this ability. Instead you've got to wait for expansion pack 45, Everything we should have included in the Base Game! Number #83: StarTropics (NES) I don't get people sometimes. They attack Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for being too different from The Legend of Zelda, and then they turn right around and attack StarTropics for being a rip-off of The Legend of Zelda. What they don't seem to bring up is that StarTropics is a first-party game. It was made by Nintendo. Now, it's totally possible to rip yourself off. But I'd hesitate to call it a rip-off. I'd actually call it a successor to the original Legend of Zelda. I don't hate Zelda II. I actually like it. It might be on this list if it wasn't so fucking difficult and unbalanced (this coming from someone who made it through Death Mountain without a guide and without dying). But Zelda II probably should have been called something else. With a little bit of retooling, StarTropics could have easily been a sequel to The Legend of Zelda. I say retooling because it has its own personality and its own quirky little charm. The other series it's been compared to is the Mother series, and I can see it. Well, I would be able to see it if I actually played any game in the Mother series. Yes, I am planning to. And if there's a game you don't see on here, there's a good chance I haven't played it, and you can fill out the template as a sort of suggestion, not only to me, but to everyone participating. Number #82: VVVVVV (PC) Awhile back, there was the first humble indie bundle. Within it, I got games like Braid, Machinarium, Crayon Physics Deluxe, ''and ''Cogs. Not one of them disappointed me at all. Sure some of them had problems, like being unable to erase any saved data in Cogs, even if you formatted your computer and Crayon Physics Deluxe having a one-click-delete-all-your-data in the center of the main menu making it easy to accidently hit, but all of them were fun and definitely worth a few hours of time. However, my favorite of that lot was the oddly titled VVVVVV. Which is weird because this genre doesn't normally appeal to me. What 2D Puzzle Platformers? Not exactly. If I'd have to pin V6 into a genre, I'd call it a Metroidvania. And if that's the case this is one of the first Metroidvania games I'd ever played. I told you that this would get more embarrassing as we went on. It's definitely a good place to start. The game generally revolves around one mechanic: flipping, and that makes it both fun and challenge. With saved points coming by extremely frequently, an amazing chiptune soundtrack, and a quirky sense of humor, it's a game that I've played through multiple times. Unfortunately I never managed to get that Veni Vidi Vici trinket. I'm still trying. Number #81: Resident Evil (PlayStation) When I was a kid, survival horror games were one of my favorite genres. Yes, when I was a kid. I was playing Silent Hill at ten-years-old in third grade. And before you ask, yes I've tried to make the mansion in The Sims many times; Luigi's mansion as well, but I prefer to make my own. I don't know, something about mansion environments interest me a lot, especially in survival horror games. But how about the scare factor? Well... I want to use the "No! Don't Go!" quote as a joke in one of my future reviews. You'd be surprised to learn how many jokes that I've been saving to use in a future review. You know that fork joke in my Madballs: Gross Jokes review? Yeah, I was saving that one from the very beginning. In fact, before that. I've been saving that since my let's play days. Take it from me, never use it a joke prematurely. Your sense of humor will develop. Fun fact. So far, two games have let me kill things with a fork: Morrowind and Project Zomboid. What was I talking about again? Oh yeah. I haven't played the remake of this game. So, maybe it would rank higher if I did. You guys tell me. Category:Top Tens Category:Miscellaneous